Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Eslov

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Eslov: $1,594 and $1,668 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Eslov
Learn more

Eslov Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Eslov

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Eslov

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sofia and in Eslov actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,668 in Eslov.

Sofia $1,594
Eslov $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,656 in Eslov.

Sofia $2,478
Eslov $2,656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,644 in Eslov.

Sofia $3,361
Eslov $3,644

Living in Sofia costs roughly 4% less than in Eslov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Eslov 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$13.06 SEK 129

29.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$85.4 SEK 846

-22.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.86 SEK 117

-4.55%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$4.52 SEK 44.82

-24.12%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.69 SEK 26.64

-10.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$2.05 SEK 20.27

-9.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$7.10 SEK 70.4

-47.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$7.17 SEK 71.1

-36.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.62 SEK 16.05

24.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.48 SEK 24.53

-37.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.50 SEK 34.68

-33.43%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.80 SEK 37.66

14.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$11.98 SEK 119

-1.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$11.34 SEK 112

-22.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$16.33 SEK 162

6.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.98 SEK 29.53

-27.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.52 SEK 24.93

-21.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.75 SEK 27.23

-29.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$4.57 SEK 45.26

-7.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.63 SEK 16.17

-36.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.41 SEK 13.92

-39.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.99 SEK 19.74

-42.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.51 SEK 14.99

-41.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.73 SEK 76.6

-45.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$10.98 SEK 109

-32.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.92 SEK 19.02

-40.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.25 SEK 22.28

-17.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$3.30 SEK 32.75

-73.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$77.3 SEK 766

-63.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$5.12 SEK 50.8

-67.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.06 SEK 10.54

-11.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$41.91 SEK 415

-63.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.79 SEK 17.77

-5.59%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.0K SEK 327.0K

-9.72%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$32.7K SEK 324.0K

-20.09%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$156 BGN 272

$78.4 SEK 777

99.06%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$19.45 SEK 193

10.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$33.06 SEK 328

-53.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$37.33 SEK 370

23.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$25.57 SEK 253

9.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$15.17 SEK 150

-32.89%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$774 BGN 1,347

$158 SEK 1,567

389.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$4,888 SEK 48.4K

161.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$86.2 SEK 854

4.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$50.4 SEK 499

-18.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$98.2 SEK 973

7.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$122 SEK 1,207

-12.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$799 SEK 7,913

-2.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$599 SEK 5,937

-0.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,327 SEK 13.1K

14.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,024 SEK 10.1K

0.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,934 SEK 39.0K

10.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,771 SEK 27.5K

14.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.03

-4.62%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Eslov: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Eslov

$599 35.9% 0.4% $2.3

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Eslov

$346 20.7% 18.9% $55

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Eslov

$263 15.8% 3.3% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Eslov

$131 7.9% 32.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Eslov

$160 9.6% 3.9% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Eslov

$68 4.1% 1.8% $1.2

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Eslov

$101 6.1% 163% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $799 in Eslov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $85.0 in Eslov for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $346 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇪 Eslov

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

17,748

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Eslov 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Eslov

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sofia vs Eslov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,391 in Sofia and $2,502 in Eslov to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $799 in Eslov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $85.0 in Eslov. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,668 in Eslov – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,668 in Eslov, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Eslov. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sofia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Eslov, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Eslov are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sofia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Eslov. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.